Taxi drivers plan to fight licence points

Taxi drivers hit with six point fines are to challenge Mansfield District Council, pictured are from left taxi rank rep, Nazrul Miah, Malcolm Spalding and Christopher Riley

The drivers say the rank on Queen Street is one of the central taxi ranks where they can pick up members of the public and is the most convenient for elderly people.

The rank only holds four taxis, so drivers have been using the 30 minutes’ free parking in the nearby Old Town Hall car park or parking on Queens Walk, next to the car park, which leads onto Market Place.

The drivers then return to the rank once a space becomes free.

They also have been told they can no longer reverse on Queens Walk – but say they only do this to access the taxi rank.

Three people have been given six penalty points on their taxi licences – after 12 their licence could be revoked, leaving them unable to work.

Drivers say they been told parking could block access for emergency services – but have photographed council workers parking in the same place on several occasions.

Nazrul Miah, taxi rank representative, said: “We are being penalised for something the council themselves are doing which is very unfair.

“It can’t be one rule for us and one rule for them.”

“There are no signs up telling us we can’t park there and we have spoken to traffic wardens , who we have a good relationship with.

“It’s never been an issue before, so why is it suddenly now?

“We had no verbal warning and were just fined without being told what we were doing wrong.”

More than 30 drivers held a meeting and said they would be looking into taking legal action to challenge the fines.